Building a strong food safety culture requires more than protocols—it demands deep organizational commitment and the consistent application of best practices at every level of operations. In this episode of Food Tech Talk: Supply Chain Insights from Farm to Fork, host Lydia Adams is joined by Darryl Riley, a globally respected leader in food safety and quality with over 30 years of experience in the CPG industry. Together, they unpack the evolution of product development, quality assurance, and regulatory compliance in a rapidly changing food landscape.

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Darryl shares valuable lessons from his international career, highlighting how cross-functional collaboration, strategic ingredient management, and rigorous consumer testing are crucial for successful product innovation. He explains how the product development process has shifted from focusing on individual projects to managing multiple innovations simultaneously, and why breaking down silos between departments is essential for meaningful progress.

The conversation explores Darryl’s “Three Pillars of Leadership”—Humility, Business Acumen, and Empathy—and how they guide effective team management and decision-making. He also discusses how to navigate the growing consumer demand for clean, natural ingredients without compromising product quality or safety. From using the Stage Gate process to guide ingredient changes to ensuring heavy user testing validates decisions, Darryl offers practical strategies that food professionals can apply immediately.

Listeners will also gain insight into why regulatory systems need to evolve to keep pace with innovation, and how emerging technologies and AI are poised to transform food safety testing and compliance over the next decade. Darryl introduces the “Four A’s Framework”—Affordability, Availability, Accessibility, and Acceptability—as a lens for driving future industry success.

Whether you’re adapting to new regulatory expectations, tackling ingredient reformulations, or looking to integrate cutting-edge technology into your food safety protocols, this episode delivers actionable insights to help you lead with confidence and stay ahead of the curve.

 Food Tech Talk: Supply Chain Insights From Farm to Fork is handcrafted by our friends over at: fame.so

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